Index Archive

27 August 2012

New York Gotopless Day Females demand equal right to bare chestSince 1992, New York state law allows women to be topless in public. But laws vary widely across the United States.

The gotopless organization demands that As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right. Or else, men should have to wear something to hide their chests" Rael, founder of Go Topless org and spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement

On Sunday more than 12 dozen topless women protested in a New York City park on a hot, sweaty Sunday as part of what they called "National Go-Topless Day" to draw attention to inequality in topless rights between men and women.

Karen Heaven, an organizer of the event told to media that We say there is nothing wrong with the female nipple,She was wearing white pants and not much else besides a purse over her shoulder. "My dog has six, I have two, but I can be put in jail for showing my nipples. It's 2012 -- what are we thinking?"

The told to media that Similar protests were scheduled in about 30 U.S. cities and 10 around the world.

In the US, the main topless rally will take place in Washington DC in front of the White House.

What happens during a Gotopless rally?During the protests, women will have the choice of going fully topless or wear red tape or something else to hide their (infamous!) nipples. They are also completely welcome to come and support this cause while being fully dressed if they prefer.To show their support, men are encouraged to wear a bikini top since we are standing up for topless constitutional equality. Either we can all be topless or no one can. Bikinis will be available on location.The march will end with a speech and entertainment. In cities where it is already legal to go topless, men's bikini top won't be necessary since equality is already in place.

Go Topless is also writing directly to President Obama to obtain his support.*

“Any state or local law making it illegal for a woman to go topless is unconstitutional, but most people don’t know that,” said Go Topless President Nadine Gary.

“That’s why we’re taking the issue of topless rights to the top by demanding the president’s attention to this issue.

A woman’s right to go topless falls under the 14th Amendment’s gender equality provision, and nobody knows that better than President Obama. He taught constitutional law.”

People forget it wasn’t acceptable for men to bare their chests until 1933,” Gary said. “Even men’s bathing suits had to include a top. Clark Gable exposed his chest in the 1934 movie ‘It Happened One Night,’ and it caused a national scandal. Today, nobody thinks a thing of it when a man takes his shirt off. Now it’s women’s turn.”

Gary said Go Topless was founded in 2007 by Rael, spiritual leader of the International Raelian Movement, after he heard of a New York City case in which a woman arrested for going topless sued for wrongful arrest and won significant damages.

“Her right was upheld but it shouldn’t have been necessary for her to prove it,” Gary commented. “New York has been a legally topless state for women since 1992, but frequently the police either don’t know the law or ignore it to appease religious zealots.”

Top-down, rigid morality codes of mainstream religions are the primary source of topless inequality directed against women, and mustn’t be allowed to override the Constitution, according to Go Topless.

“The Constitution is very clear about separation of church and state,” Gary said.The Go Topless petition is posted on the White House website.Go Topless, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to attaining women’s rights to go bare-chested, today announced that it is petitioning the Obama administration to have that right recognized nationally.

The petition has been launched this week ahead of International Go Topless Day, August 26, a date chosen to coincide with Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the attainment of women’s voting rights on Aug. 26, 1920.

Petition says, demands following –

As long as men can go top-free in public, constitutionally, women should have the same right, or men should also be forced to wear something to hide their chests.

Therefore, ALL or NO ONE is the only constitutional equation possible. “Subjective morality” is irrelevant to our Constitution. It was considered indecent for women to vote in 1920, yet the 19th amendment was adopted on the basis of gender equality.

Clothing, or lack thereof, is also a matter of gender equality.

Annual protests will be held until equal rights to be bare-chested are enforced.